India Halts Water Flow to Pakistan via Baglihar Dam After Indus Treaty Suspension
India has halted water flow from the Baglihar Dam to Pakistan and is planning similar action at the Kishanganga Dam following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack.
In a decisive escalation of punitive actions against Pakistan, India has blocked the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and is reportedly preparing to do the same at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River.
The move follows New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark water-sharing agreement in force since 1960, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists.
According to sources quoted by PTI, the Baglihar and Kishanganga dams allow India to control the timing and volume of water releases to Pakistan.
“The sluice spillways of Baglihar have been closed as a short-term punitive measure,” a senior official told The Indian Express, adding that the message to Pakistan is clear: India will respond across all strategic domains.
Islamabad reacted sharply, calling India’s suspension of the treaty and the subsequent dam actions an “act of war”. The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has survived multiple conflicts between the two countries, making its suspension unprecedented.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has not yet issued an official statement, but media outlets there have highlighted water as a critical security concern, especially for the agricultural heartland of Punjab.
The water blockade is part of a wider punitive framework that includes a ban on all imports from Pakistan, closure of Indian ports to Pakistani-flagged ships, suspension of postal services, and a complete airspace ban for Pakistani airlines.
India also condemned Pakistan’s May 3 surface-to-surface missile test as a “reckless act of provocation”. The Indian armed forces have been placed on high alert, with PM Narendra Modi granting them “complete operational freedom”.
The Indus Waters Treaty divides the river waters of the Indus basin between the two countries. While India controls the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej), Pakistan has rights over the western rivers (Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum), though India can use these for non-consumptive purposes such as hydroelectricity.
The Baglihar project, inaugurated in 2008, and the Kishanganga project, operational since 2018, have long been contested by Pakistan, which fears upstream manipulation by India could cripple its water supply.
While India has not yet released an official statement detailing further steps, experts suggest that regulation of river flows could become a powerful strategic tool in ongoing tensions.
“Water is emerging as a key front in India’s hybrid retaliation against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” said a senior defence analyst.
